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Friday, April 20, 2012

NBTM: Karen Mueller Bryson Book Tour

Blurbs: In the romantic comedy, One Last Class, thirty-two year old, Zak Spencer, is a washed-up teen idol, who decides to rebuild his life by returning to college in Arizona. Trouble ensues when Zak falls in love with the young professor, Amy Campbell, who teaches the one class he needs to complete his degree.

In the romantic comedy, Twyla’s Last Trip, twenty eight-year old, Lucinda Starr is an uptight research psychologist, whose deadline to complete her doctoral dissertation is completely derailed by her estranged mother, Twyla Starr's sudden death. Lucinda must take her mother's ashes on a road trip on Route 66, in order to fulfill the requirements of her will and inherit her fortune. To make matters worse, Lucinda finds herself forced to travel across the country with her mother's easygoing country lawyer, T.J. Yates, who drives her crazy, and his drooling bloodhound, Dakota, who Lucinda finds revolting.

An excerpt from “Twyla’s Last Trip:

Lucinda peered intently into her microscope until Bunny's voice blared from the intercom—again. “I'm sorry to bother you, Lucinda, but Mr. Yates is on the phone. He says he won't hang up until he speaks with you personally.”

Lucinda took a deep breath, stood and exited the lab. She marched over to the reception desk and ripped the phone from Bunny's grasp.

“Lucinda Starr,” she growled into the phone. “How may I help you?”

Thirty-year old T.J. Yates, the epitome of all things country, spoke to Lucinda from his cell phone. “Miss Starr,” he said. “I know we've never met but I've been your mom's attorney now for nearly a decade.”

“Will you please get to the point?” Lucinda interrupted. “I'm in the middle of an extremely important experiment.”

“I hate to be the bearer of bad news but your mom has passed away.”

Lucinda flinched slightly but then it was back to business. “And what does this have to do with me?” she asked.

“Well, Miss Starr, you are the sole beneficiary of your mom's estate.”

“Estate?” Lucinda snorted. “My mother was a cat lady, who lived in a trailer.”

“Miss Starr,” T.J. continued. “I don't think you understand.”

Before T.J. could finish, Lucinda slammed the phone into the receiver and hurried away.

T.J. looked at his cell phone dumbfounded. People never hung up on him, especially women.

Dakota, his two-year old bloodhound, glanced up from her doggie pillow and gave her head a tilt.

“I think this requires a little trip up to Chicago,” T.J. said.

Dakota just yawned and plopped her head back down on her bed.

Guest post by Karen Mueller Bryson

Topic: What are some of your favorite romance novels/movies and why did you decide to write this genre?

I work as a university professor, a job which can be demanding and stressful. When I want to relax and enjoy myself, I often rely on romantic comedy to take my mind off of the pressures of everyday life. Most romantic comedies help people to feel good about life and love. When I write, my goal is to entertain readers and I most enjoy writing the types of stories I like to read. I also love to watch romantic comedy films. Because my novels are based on my screenplays, I write romantic comedy film scripts and they become Short on Time books, fast-paced and fun novels for readers on the go.

One of my all-time favorite romantic comedy films is Sweet Home Alabama starring Reese Witherspoon and Josh Lucas. The film is about a New York fashion designer, Melanie Carmichael, who gets engaged to the mayor of New York’s son, but neglects to tell him that she is already married to her high school sweet heart, Jake Perry, who resides in their hometown in Alabama. Jake refused to sign divorce papers, so Melanie finds herself having to travel back to her hometown to deal with her past. In addition to the bloodhound featured throughout the film, one of the things I like most about the film is that Melanie goes home and is able to make peace with the past she tried to flee when she escaped to New York to pursue her career. I think the B-story adds a level of depth to the movie that is not generally present in a lot of romantic comedies.

My favorite romantic comedy book series is Janet Evanovich’s Stephanie Plum series. Not only are the books funny and fun to read, they offer a bit of mystery and adventure, in addition to the ongoing romantic love triangle between Stephanie; police officer, Joe Morelli; and fellow bounty hunter, Ranger. I’ve been reading the series for years and I always look forward to the next release.

I don’t always set out to write comedy but often that’s what comes out of me! I’m not really a “funny” person but I can write characters, who are funny. (At least I hope they are!) So far, I’ve written four romantic comedies for adults and one for young adults. I plan to continue writing in this genre because I enjoy the work and entertain myself. Why write if you’re not having fun?

About the author: Karen Mueller Bryson is an award-winning screenwriter, produced playwright and published novelist. She has been writing since she learned to read and fell in love with books! Karen is the creator of Short on Time Books, a series of fast-paced and fun novels for readers on the go. When she’s not at her computer creating new stories, Karen enjoys spending time with her husband and their bloodhounds.

Karen will be giving away a $25 Amazon GC to one randomly drawn commenters during the tour and to the host whose post has the most comments (excluding Karen's and the hosts). The tour dates can be found here.

I, too, have a pretty demanding job at a college. To unwind, I love rom-com movies. I tend towards classics: Bringing Up Baby, Pillow Talk, His Gal Friday, The Thrill of It All, Please Don't Eat the Daisies, Desk Set, etc. Modern ones I like include Sleepless in Seattle.catherinelee100 at gmail dot com